Branching Scenario: The Monthly Review

The Hearth Core — Metrics That Actually Work

Putting It Into Practice

Let us step into a real situation. You are the director of an independent funeral home, and your Family Service Counselor has just completed their first month. It is time for the monthly review.

This is a defining moment. How you respond will shape whether this counselor stays and thrives -- or starts updating their resume.

Branching Scenario

Interactive Scenario

Your Family Service Counselor, Jamie, sits across from you for their first monthly review. You review the numbers together: - **4 community events attended** (senior center luncheon, church bereavement group, hospice volunteer orientation, Rotary club meeting) - **3 meaningful conversations started** with families who expressed interest in learning more about pre-need planning - **0 closed pre-need policies** Jamie looks a little nervous. They know the zero in that last column stands out. They also know they spent 90 minutes at the senior center luncheon talking with a widow named Eleanor who has six adult children -- all living locally -- and none of them have pre-need plans. How do you respond?

The Lesson Behind the Scenario

The monthly review is not just an evaluation of the counselor. It is a reflection of your values as a leader. When you celebrate pipeline depth over immediate closings, you create a culture where people do the work properly. And when people do the work properly, the results follow -- on their own timeline, not yours.

The hybrid framework gives you the language for this conversation. Activity metrics show Jamie is doing the work. The absence of relationship outcomes in month one is not failure -- it is the natural pace of trust-based relationship building.

Evaluating a First-Month Counselor

Jamie's first-month results show 4 community events attended, 3 meaningful conversations started, and 0 closed pre-need policies. Using the hybrid framework, how should you interpret this performance?

It is a clear failure -- the absence of closed policies means the outreach is not working The activity metrics show strong foundation-building, and the absence of closed policies in month one is the natural pace of trust-based relationship development The numbers are acceptable but Jamie needs to double their event attendance next month Jamie should be reassigned to at-need work until the home has more budget for pre-need outreach

The Monthly Review as a Leadership Moment

Why is the monthly review described as 'a reflection of your values as a leader'?

Because the review format you use determines whether the counselor receives a raise or a warning Because what you choose to celebrate or criticize in the review tells your team what you truly value -- and shapes whether they stay or leave Because a well-structured review replaces the need for ongoing coaching throughout the month Because documentation from reviews protects the home legally if a counselor needs to be terminated

The Danger of Pulling Back Pre-Need Efforts

What is the risk of pulling a counselor off pre-need work after just one month of outreach?

There is no real risk -- the counselor can always restart pre-need outreach later with the same contacts The early relationships go cold, the entire pipeline must restart from scratch, and the counselor feels their genuine effort was wasted The only risk is a slight delay in revenue that can be made up with a stronger push in the following quarter It signals to other funeral homes in the area that your pre-need program is struggling